Whether you believe it will be called the iPhone 8 or not, there are certainly a lot of rumors about it doing the rounds at the moment. With one, not yet reaching consensus among those who claim to know Apple’s plans for the next handset. And that has to do with the headphone adapter, will it ship with the next smartphone or not?
The Headphone Adapter and iPhone 8
If you’re not familiar with this possibly groundbreaking inclusion or exclusion as it could be. Here’s a little backstory, back in 2016, Apple became the first major manufacturer to ship a flagship handset without the 3.5mm headphone jack. In doing so, it announced that it was brave making this move. One that would lead to improved audio quality and consumers using wireless headphones. However, it soon became apparent (to the company) that not a lot of consumers liked the idea. So, it chose to include a headphone adapter with all iPhone 7’s and 7 Plus devices.
This would enable purchasers of 2016’s flagships to use wired headphones still should they choose too. However, a recent report by the Japanese Mac Otakara cast doubt on Apple’s commitment to continue to supply the adapter with the iPhone 8. Which if true would mean, users of the anniversary edition handset would have to use the wireless ArPods or BeatsX headphones that are now available. Something which would surely infuriate many iPhone owners who are looking to upgrade from earlier models. As well as alienate those who would have liked to cross over from Android, ultimately harming sales.
Barclays Analyst Says Headphone Adapter Will Ship
Now according to Barclays Analyst Blayne Curtis, who along with his associates has conducted some research to clarify this matter. Apple will not remove the 3.5mm headphone jack adapter from its iPhone 8 packaging.
On the matter, he told Macrumors:
“We believe it stays this year but goes away at some point, potentially in the 2018 model.”
Which for now if accurate, is great news, considering Apple’s Wireless AirPods are expensive as are the BeatsX headphones. The prospect of having to fork out hard earned cash for an iPhone 8 and then the ability to listen to music with compatible headphones wouldn’t be a welcome one.
Imagine if Apple had gone down that route last year? It would have meant a top spec iPhone 7 Plus with 256GB of storage, Plus AirPods would have set you back $1128. What would you have thought about that, would it have been worth it?
Final Thoughts
The only silver lining to this, will it or won’t it, story, is the fact that you can buy a 3.5mm headphone jack adapter on its own. Apple sells them quite cheaply at $9 on it online store and in retail outlets.
What are your thoughts on this topic, would this be a bad or good move by Apple? Come and share them using the comments section below.
